It was only a matter of time before the real Olympic Club appeared. Think fog, mist and a distinct chill. Think Scotland. They staged the final round of the U.S. Open on Sunday, and a British Open broke out.

For the many Bay Area residents who reside near the coast, this was long overdue. The Lake Course had been a brutal test during those autumn-like conditions of the first three rounds, but it's not June in San Francisco without the overcoats. Jim Furyk probably wanted to drape one over his head as he left the grounds, the better to go unrecognized.

The talk through Saturday was all about Furyk, who plays the type of sensible, unerring golf so necessary in this tournament. He was the unflappable one, a veritable par machine while so many others - including Tiger Woods, his third-round playing partner - stumbled and flailed.

Through the first 11 holes Sunday, Furyk was right in character. Suddenly, on No. 12, came a duck-hook screamer into the left rough. "One of the worst tee shots I've ever seen him hit," ESPN Radio analyst Curtis Strange said.

When Furyk clanked his second shot into a greenside bunker, he looked ready to dismantle something - his bag, a squirrel, maybe even a person - before stopping short with a furious half-swing of his club.

Amazingly, Furyk scrambled for par with a brilliant 30-foot putt, but the dynamic had changed. The course was in his head. He drove into the rough and bogeyed the 13th. He unleashed another dreadful hook off the tee on 16, the club flying out of his hands, Tiger-like, in concert with his disgust. He was so deep into the trees, he could poke his second shot only back into the fairway, and another bogey was at hand.

By the time Furyk got to 18, he needed to birdie the damn thing or watch someone named Webb Simpson win the tournament. We say "someone" because Simpson, to this point, had received about as much publicity as your Aunt Sally. Now he was on the verge of major-championship history, with his weekend rounds of 68-68, and as Simpson sat patiently in the locker room, Furyk found himself needing to hole a shot from the left-side bunker simply to earn himself a playoff.

For the many witnesses jammed into the spectacular amphitheater, it was a shot they won't forget. Going for broke - he had no other choice - Furyk shanked his sand wedge into another bunker, on the other side of the green. And that was so Olympic Club, a place that can make seasoned professionals look like your fellow hackers at the local muni.

Graeme McDowell's demise - a lost chance for a playoff when his long birdie putt went well to the left on 18 - did not have the ring of disaster. But this was a day of outright catastrophes for a number of Sunday contenders.

Lee Westwood, standing at 2-over as he teed off on No. 5, sailed his drive into a tree off the right side of the fairway, and the ball did not come down. Immediate reaction: Is that the Lee Janzen tree? Back in the 1998 U.S. Open, Janzen - the eventual winner - thought he'd lost a ball in a 5th-hole tree and was walking back to the tee when it miraculously fell to the ground.

Nobody was quite sure if the trees were a match, although NBC made that claim on its national telecast, and why not? Makes for a better story. Westwood was seen looking skyward through a pair of binoculars, for if he'd spotted the ball, it would not be considered "lost," and he'd take only a one-stroke penalty. But no such luck. Driven back to the tee in a USGA cart, he knew his title chances were over.

Ernie Els had a different type of nightmare, and it happened twice: the sight of his ball rolling back toward him, forever.

Els was just two shots off the lead when he came to the spectacular 8th hole, where thousands of fans sit perched on the sprawling hillsides.

His tee shot fell just short of the green, then rolled down the hill for what seemed like 30 seconds. You could almost hear the ball laughing as it picked up speed. That led to a bogey, Els shaking his head as he walked toward No. 9 - where he would blow a 4-foot par putt and lose all sense of command.

Fast-forward now to the par-5 16th, where Els found himself lining up his fourth shot near the bottom of a shaved, 6-foot slope alongside the green. He hauled out the putter, and he almost made it - only to watch the ball come to a stop, then roll back down the hill. He knew right then that his chance for a third U.S. Open title had vanished.

Padraig Harrington got himself in contention, a real treat for fans who cherished his titles at the 2007 and '08 British Opens and the '08 PGA. Three straight birdies (holes 7-8-9), helped put him two shots off the lead as he confronted No. 18. With fans savoring the prospect of greatness, Harrington put his second shot into the bunker, and all was lost.

In the aftermath of this strikingly bizarre event, Furyk drew most of the attention. People kept asking what happened, and more than a few pundits took note that he's 42 years old - a bit late in the game for players seeking major titles.

"I'm a little tired of hearing how old I am," said Furyk, and good for him. Sunday at the U.S. Open wasn't about age, or any type of choke job. It was about June golf at the Olympic Club, a sinister and beguiling opponent that always wins.